Laxá í Kjós
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| Laxá í Kjós | |
|---|---|
,_mouth_of_Laxá_í_Kjós_river.jpg) Laxá í Kjós near its mouth at the Laxárvogur. | |
  Location of the mouth of Laxá í Kjós | |
| Etymology | Icelandic: lax, lit. 'salmon' |
| Location | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Region | Capital Region (Greater Reykjavík) |
| Constituency | Southwest |
| Municipality | Kjósarhreppur (Kjós) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Stíflisdalsvatn lake |
| • coordinates | 64°15′04″N 21°20′42″W / 64.2510°N 21.3449°W |
| • elevation | 178 m (584 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | Laxárvogur, Hvalfjörður |
• coordinates | 64°20′32″N 21°36′58″W / 64.3423°N 21.6162°W |
• elevation | 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) |
| Length | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Basin size | 211 km2 (81 sq mi)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Svínadalsá, Bugða |
Laxá í Kjós (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlaksˌauː iː ˈcʰouːs]; Laxá in Kjós) is a river in the Kjósarhreppur municipality of southwestern Iceland. It flows about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Stíflisdalsvatn [ˈstiplɪsˌtalsˌvahtn̥], a small lake northwest of the Þingvallavatn, into the Laxárvogur [ˈlaksˌaurˌvɔːɣʏr̥], a cove on the Hvalfjörður fjord.[1]
It is known for its salmon fishing, particularly where the salmon must traverse up several waterfalls. Brown trout and sea trout are also caught in the river.[2]
The first salmon hatchery in Iceland, established in 1884 by Danish scientist Arthur Feddersen in the village of Reynivellir, was stocked with 31 spawning salmon captured in the Laxá í Kjós and its main tributary, the Bugða [ˈpʏɣða].[3] Other tributaries include the smaller Svínadalsá [ˈsviːnaˌtalsˌauː], Hálsá [ˈhaulsˌauː], and Þverá [ˈθvɛːrˌauː], all of which flow into the upper section of the river below the Þórufoss.[1]
